Week 1 Exaggeration of Symptoms Discussion

DQ1. Do you find instances of exaggeration of symptoms or diagnostic severity (so-called “diagnostic creep”) in order to retain or maximize benefits/coverage for the client? Explain your experiences. How successful have you been on addressing the goals on your activity plan? Explain the successes or barriers you have faced.

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DQ2. Looking back at when you began your practicum, are you now more comfortable working with a variety of clients with differing diagnosis? Use examples in your answer.

DQ 3. How has your coursework helped you to identify co-occurring disorders? Journal – In 250 words reflect upon the progress made in gaining knowledge, skills, attitudes, in some of the tasks I carried out, they include: Group Counseling – Individual counseling – Staff Meetings – In-Service Training – Treatment Planning and Development – Progress Notes

1 Activity Plan: Online Counselling Resources Technology has altered counselling by introducing online counselling. In this case, counsellors need to understand that the counselling profession may no longer be bounded by face-to-face or in-person interactions. The counselling services could be delivered despite geographical distance. Resources used to enable online counselling include the class simulations using technology platforms best suited for online group counselling. Week 1 Exaggeration of Symptoms Discussion

The training course should consist of training based on chats (asynchronous) and videoconferencing (synchronous) simulation sessions to develop clinical online skills and interventions in a supervised environment. It also includes handbooks to familiarize learners with legal mandates and ethical codes. There were textbooks with selected case studies so that learners could gain the skills to relate to their clients by chat-only communication. 2 Consulted Persons Consulting helps with making the right decisions when one encounters difficult situations. Since online group counselling is a new facet, there are specific individuals to consult. Some of these experts are online counselling educators, mental health counsellors with experience in online counselling and information technology experts on the best technology platforms that facilitate video conferencing. Observations There are various observations one needs to take note of when taking a chance at online counselling.

One observation made was high work overload (peak-mean ratio) because of increased accessibility to services online. Awareness of this essential element ensures that quality service delivery is maintained without breakdowns. Sometimes, the counsellor may be required to record each counselling session. However, they cannot begin writing with informed consent from the patient. The verbatim record may be later 3 used for research, teaching or publication. Lastly, online counselling sessions will be more effective if the counsellor finds a way to represent experience. For example, counsellors are not allowed to compare years of counselling because counselling amounts may be misleading. Timeline to Achieve Goals In this case, a timeline cannot be set without a goal. E-counseling goal is to empower individuals by finding areas he or she can successfully control and manage. Therefore, the online therapy timeline will depend on whether both the client and the therapist can efficiently and quickly track life goals and mental health.

Three months is the recommended timeline. The talk-space also offers mental health professionals a chance to share notes more efficiently, hence, increased multi-discipline service delivery. Feedback Loop It is through feedback that counsellors are monitored, and their behaviours improved. 4 One way to give feedback is by looking at the therapists’ behaviours, such as communication strategies and written content. Some of the therapist behaviours monitored is validating what they write about patients and promoting patients to develop their solutions.

Feedback from counselled patients or facilitators reinforces the knowledge and skills learnt about online counselling. Progress Note The online counselling learning experience reinforces some of the skills, practices, and knowledge learnt. I learnt that apart from individualized counselling, group counselling could effectively work to implement behaviour change. It requires an environment that fosters engagement and collaborative consultation. Additionally, it is essential to know that counselling therapies for individuals are different when counselling an individual. It is the same concept as faceto-face counselling. Therefore, counsellors must learn to extend principles of physical 5 interaction online. During staff meetings to discuss progress, the most influential meetings were punctual and ensured that every attending individual knew the meeting’s purpose, which increased participation. Notably, online counselling would require inservice training on how to use technology platforms to offer counselling services. The training ensured intelligent behaviour among the counsellors. All patients have different needs. Therefore, counsellors need a plan to ensure that they monitor client sessions and progress in attending the sessions set up. Week 1 Exaggeration of Symptoms Discussion